Helping communities stay ahead of flooding along the Great Ouse

This is where prolonged dry conditions can be followed by periods of heavy rainfall and flooding. 

With severe drought recently declared in parts of southern England, and a heightened potential for a wet winter, communities can face contrasting challenges of water scarcity and flooding, sometimes in the same season. The Environment Agency is encouraging communities to prepare for the risks ahead as part of its Flood Action Week campaign.

Across the Great Ouse catchment communities are strengthening their flood preparedness now. Thirty-five communities across the Great Ouse catchment have already developed community flood plans and received a start-up emergency flood kit. Tailored to each community the kits typically include high visibility jackets, a submersible pump, roadside ‘Flood’ signs, temporary barriers, a first aid kit, two-way radios, and torches. These are practical tools that can make a real difference when flooding threatens.

Adam Foster, Flood Risk Manager from the Environment Agency said:

“We’re facing extreme weather, with flood and drought placing communities under growing pressure. Building resilience has never been more important.  

“Through flood groups, community flood plans, and emergency flood kits, this project is equipping local volunteers and communities to respond quickly and effectively when water levels rise. We can’t always prevent flooding, but we can help communities understand their risk, be better prepared and hopefully recover more quickly.”

One example of community preparedness in action is Riseley, Bedfordshire, where residents have shown the value of getting organised before flooding strikes. Residents formed a flood group and worked with the Environment Agency and Bedford Borough Council to develop a community flood plan, identify vulnerable residents, and spread the word through door-knocking, social media and leaflets. And, when flooding later hit the village, their preparation paid off. 

Alongside the kits, CCTV cameras are being installed at flood-risk locations across the catchment, letting communities, the Environment Agency and partners monitor conditions remotely. For residents, that means they can check water levels online and make informed decisions without leaving home. Nine cameras are already in place, with a tenth installed in Newport Pagnell last week.

As the weather becomes increasingly unpredictable, knowing your flood risk and understanding what to do when warnings are issued can help households prepare for changing conditions. During Flood Action Week, people are being encouraged to take simple, proactive steps: check their flood risk, prepare a flood plan, and sign up for flood warnings.

Households can also visit Flood Action Online, a one-stop hub where people can check their flood risk, sign up for warnings, access Met Office alerts, and find practical advice on making their homes more resilient.

Notes to editors: 

• The Great Ouse catchment flood resilience project is funded through the local levy programme and delivered in partnership with local authorities.
• Communities in the catchment can apply for a flood kit and flood monitoring camera after developing a suitable community flood plan with support from the Environment Agency.
• Communities with flood kits: Alconbury, Alconbury Weston, Biggleswade, Blunham, Brampton, Buckden, Buckingham, Cambridge, Cottenham, Cranfield, Elsworth, Fen Drayton, Great Barford, Harrold, Houghton and Wyton, Kempston West, Kempston, Langford, Newport Pagnell, Northill, Oakington and Westwick, Potton, Riseley, Sandy, Shefford, St Ives, Stevington, Stony Stratford, Stotfold, Swavesey, Swineshead, Walsham le Willows, Wistow, Woughton, Yelden and Melchbourne.
• Communities with flood monitoring cameras: Alconbury, Alconbury Weston, Cambridge, Harrold, Newport Pagnell, Riseley, St Ives, Stony Stratford, Wistow, Yelden and Melchbourne.
• Only communities within the Great Ouse catchment are eligible for community flood kits and flood monitoring cameras. The catchment crosses county boundaries and includes parts of Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex. Communities located within these counties but outside the catchment are not eligible.

For information about Community Flood Plans